Grinding machine



March 1,1938. VANDERBEEK 2,109,600

GRINDING MACHINE Filed oct'. 5, 1954 s vsheets-sheet 1 25 /Y )6MM March 1, 1938. H. vANDERBEl-:K s 2,109,600

GRINDING MACHINE HAS HTI-omver@ March 1, 1938. H. VANDERBEEK GRINDING MACHINE lFiled oct. 5, 1934 /Nve/vroe:

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 www Patented Mar. 1, 1938 PATENT OFFICE GRINDING MACHINE Herbert Vanderbeek, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Timken -Roller Bearing Company, Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application october 5, 1934, serial No. 146,961

3 Claims.

This invention relatesA to grinding machines, particularly automatic grinding machines of the multiple spindle type for grinding the ends of rolls for roller bearings.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a grinding machine of the above type that will give the ends of the rolls a spherical shape; to provide for positioning the roll spindles longitudinally of the turret so that a given amount of stock will be removed from each roll; to provide for maintaining the spindles in such position; to provide for rotating the spindles when therolls carried thereby are in engagement with the grinding wheel; to provide for the angular adjustment of the grinding wheel with reference to the roll to be ground; and to provide for automatically dressing the grinding wheel. The invention consists in the grinding machine and in the construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a view, partly in planand partly in horizontal section, of a grinding machine embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is'a side elevational view of the machine,

Fig. 3 is an end elevation thereof,l

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section through the spindle turret on the line 4-4 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 5is a vertical transverse` section on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section through the upper and lower spindles of Fig. 4 (enlarged). Fig. 'l is a'fragmentary section through the turret, showing the tool for dressing the grinding wheel; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged diagrammatic view illustrating the cooperating portions of the grinding wheel and roll end.

The grinding machine shown in the accompanying drawings is especially adapted to form or grind a spherical surface on the large end of a conical antifriction bearing roll I. In the type of conical bearing roll shown, such surface is in the form of a convex spherical band or annular land 2 which has a relatively large radius of curvature and is located between a radiused edge 3 of the large end of the roll and a circular depression 4 therein.

Said machine comprises a housing 5 supported on a suitable tablet and provided with an upright frame 'l in which a multiple spindle turret 8 is supported for rotation on a horizontal axis.

Said turret is fixed to and rotates with a horizontal shaft 9 whose ends are journaled in suitable antifriction bearings I0 mounted in the corresponding ends of the upright frame 1.

The mechanism for rotating the turret 8 comprises an electric motor Il mounted on a bracket I2 secured to the side of the housing 5, a belt and pulley connection I3 between said motor and a horizontal shaft I4 extending longitudinally of said housing, and a worm gearing connection I5 between the shaft I4 and a horizontal crossshaft I5 journaled in said housing and provided with a worm Il meshing with a worm gear ring I8 fixed to said turret.

The rotary turret 8 has a plurality of circumferentially spaced roll holding spindles mounted parallel to the axis thereof for rotary and axial sliding movement therein. Each of these roll spindles comprises a hollow cylindrical body member I9 supported at its ends for rotary and axial sliding movement in bearings provided therefor in outstanding annular flanges 2D at the corresponding ends of the turret 8. The front end of the body member I9 of each roll spindle is provided with-a suitable roll holding chuck or collet 2| that is removably secured to said spindle by means of a threaded cap 22. The body member vI9 of each spindle is provided with a journal in the form of a bronze bushing or sleeve I9a which fits within the bearing provided therefor in the flange at the front end -of the turret and is held on said body member between a nut |922 threaded thereon adjacent to the rear face of said flange and the threaded cap 22 at the feed end of said spindle. -The bearing for the rear end of the body member of each spindle comprises a sleeve I9c mounted with a press t in the annular ange at the rear end of the tur- ,Y ret end positioned and further held by means of a screw I9d.

Each spindle is provided with a knock-out plunger 23 comprising a rear portion, which is axially slidable in the bearing sleeve I9c in abuttingrelation to the rear end of said spindle and a reduced front portion that is slidable in the bore of the body member of said spindle. 'I'his knock-nut plunger is held in rearward or retracted position 'by means of a-coil spring 24 located in the bore of the body member of the spindle between the 'collet 2I and a collar 25 provided therefor on said plunger. In the lowermost station or position of the spindle the knocklower portion of the turret supporting frame 1 in position to be engaged by a roller 21 carried by the vrear end of said knock-out plunger.

Dining the rotation of the turret,.the spindles on the downwardly moving side of the turret are successively rotated on their own axes by means of a continuously moving endless belt 28 located on said side of said turret. 'I'he upper end of the spindle drivingbelt 28 is supported on a pulley 29 journaled for -rotation on a horizontal axis disposed parallel to the turret and spindle axes. Asshown in thedrawings, the pulley 29 is lournaled Aon the free endof an arm 30 that is pivotally supported in upstanding lugs or ears 3|A provided therefor on the top of the turret supporting frame 1. The pulley supporting arm 30 may be raised and lowered to adjust the tension of the belt 28 by means of a screw 32, which is threaded through a laterally extending lug 33 on the turret supporting frame 1- and bears against the underside of the free end of said arm. The lower end of the spindle driving belt 28 operates with a pulley 34 that is fixed to the inner endof the main drive shaft I4 of the turret rotating mechanism. The spindle driving belt 28 is positioned so that its upward moving stretch runs between the end flanges 20 of the turret 8 on the downwardly moving side thereof and each spindle is provided between said end flanges with a pulley 35 adapted, once during every revolution of said turret, to engage said belt 'stretch and be driven thereby while in contact therewith. As each spindle on the upwardly moving side of the rotating turret reaches a horizontal plane passing through the turret and spindle axes a roll is inserted in the collet 2| of the spindle by means of a suitable roll feeding and positioning mechanism. Said mechanism comprises a hopper 36, into which the rolls to be end ground are dumped, a tube 31 for transferring said rolls from the hopper to a suitable turning roll box 38 where they are automatically positioned with their small ends down, and a tube 39 for transferring the rolls thus positioned from the turning` box to a suitable loading device 40, which inserts a roll into the collet of each spindle as it comes into position in front of the loading device. Y

'I'he rolls are positioned in the collets 2| of the spindles I9 with their large ends projecting beyond the front ends thereof. In order to insure the removal of the same amount of stock from the end of each roll regardless of its size, the

rolls after being inserted in' the collets are successively engaged, at the limit of their upward travel in the rotating'turret, by a positioning wheel 4| journaled -on a stud 42 xed to the turret supporting standard or frame 1. The roll positioning wheel 4| has a beveled peripheral edge -43 and is arranged so that it contacts with the projecting ends of the rolls along a vertical line as they come in position opposite said wheel.

lWith thisarrangement, if the rolls project too far beyond the collet, the positioning wheel 4| exerts an endwise pressure on the roll, thereby forcing the entire spindle I9 rearwardly in the turret far enough to permit the roll to clear the positioning wheel. The spindle is frictionally held in this position by means of a plug 44 that is mounted in a radial bore in the forward end flange 20 of the turret with' its inner end in engagement with the sleeve I9al of the spindle. The bushing or sleeve I8l of the spindle is prevented from rotating therewith by a plug 44 which is held in frictional engagement with said sleeve by means of a disk 46 that is'seated in the outer end of the plug receiving bore and bears against the outer end of said plug.

As stated above, the positioning wheel 4I serves to position the rolls endwise in the collets 2| so that the same amount of stock is removed from each roll. However, it is possible to dispense with the positioning wheel and grind rolls of different sizes to the same size by removing different amounts of stock from each roll according to its size.

'I'he mechanism for forming or grinding the lands or bands 2 on the correctly positioned rolls comprises a grinding wheel 41 located on the downwardly moving side of the turret for rotation on a horizontal axis, which is disposed in a horizontal plane passing through the turret axis and is arranged at an oblique angle thereto. The roll engaging end 48 of the grinding wheel V41, which has the same spherical shape as the spherical roll end surface 2, has a radius of curvature described from the point of intersection of the turret and grinding wheel axes. The spherical grinding face 48 of the grinding wheel is generated by a dressing tool comprising a bar 49 mounted on `the forward end flange 20 of the turret and having a diamond dressing point 50 on the forward end thereof in position to pass over the spherical grinding surface of the grinding wheel once during every revolution of the turret..

As shown in the drawings, the grinding wheel 41 is fixed to the forward end of the armature shaft 5| of an electric motor 52 that is mounted for longitudinal sliding movementA towards and away from ythe turret 8 on inverted V-shapedA slideways 53 provided therefor on the upper surface of a plate 54 supported on the housing 5 of the machine. As shown in the drawings, the motor supporting plate 54 is movably secured to the machine by T-bolts 55, whose heads engage a curved T-slot 56 provided therefor in the top of the housing, whereby the motor, together with the grinding wheel thereon, may be moved longitudinally of the arcuate T-slots to vary the angular position of the grinding wheel with respect to the rolls to be ground. With this arrangement, the grinding wheel may be adjusted to bring the surface of the spherical band 2 of the roll tangent to the curved or radiused edge thereof. Suitable mechanism (not shown) is provided for automatically feeding the grinding wheel in the direction of the roll in order to take up wear of the wheel due to grinding, the pressure of the grinding wheel on the roll being less than the pressure of the friction plug 44 on the roll spindle so that the positiongiven tothe spindle by the positioning wheel 4| will not be disturbed.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The rolls I that are to be end ground are dumped into the hopper 36 and travel down through the tube 31 into the turning box 38 Where they are automatically positioned endwise and then dropped through the tube 39 into the loader 40 which inserts one of the rolls into the empty collet 2| of an upwardly moving spindle I9 when the same comes into position opposite said loader.`

the grinding wheel. 'I he correctly positioned rollthen travels downwardly with the turret across the downwardly moving side of the spherical grinding surface 48 of the grinding wheel 41 which forms or grinds the convex spherical band 2 on the end of the roll. During this engagement of the roll end with the grinding wheel, the pulley 35 on the roll supporting spindle moves into engagement with the upwardly moving stretch of the continuously moving endless belt 28 and thus causes the roll to rotate on its axis so as to insure uniform circumferential contact of the roll end with the grinding wheel. As the spindle carrying the nished roll moves to the lower-most station or position, the roller 21 journaled in the rear end of the knock-out plunger 23 engages the stationary cam 26, which forces said plunger forward in the direction of its collet and ejects the finished roll therefrom. The large end portion of the knock-out plunger then engages the rear end of the spindle and pushes it forward to4 its advance position of setting, after which the roller 21 on said plunger leaves the-cam 26 and permits the spring 24 to push said plunger rearwardly out of the roll receiving portion of the collet. Another unnished roll is then inserted in the empty collet in the manner above described and is carried upwardly by the rotating turret until the front end of the roll is engaged by positioning wheel 4|, which forces the roll carrying spindle rearwardly from its advanced position of setting against the pressure ofthe friction plug 44 until the roll is in proper position for grinding. The pressure of the plug 44 on the sleeve |90, is suflicient to prevent the spindle from being forced rearwardly by the pressure of the grinding wheel 41 on the end of the correctly positioned roll.

The machine above described has numerous advantages. It provides automatic and accurate means for correctly positioningthe rolls in the spindle collets; it provides a simple and eicient arrangement for rotating the spindles on their axes as they revolve past the rotating grinding wheel; it provides for maintaining the proper spherical shape of the grinding surface of the grinding wheel by means of the trimming device which passes over the grinding surface during each revolution of the turret; and it permits the ready adjustment of the grinding wheel relative to the rollend to correctly locate the spherical land thereon. Obviously, numerous changes may be made without departing from the invention. Therefore, I do not Wish to be limited to the precise construction shown and described.

What I claim is:

1. A machine for end-grinding rolls comprising a rotatable roll carrier and a rotary grinding Wheel arranged with their axes substantially in the same plane and at an oblique angle to each other, said grinding wheel being located alongside of said roll carrier adjacent to the roll carrying end thereof and provided at its carrier opposing end face with a grinding surface adapted to be engaged by the end of a roll rotating with said roll carrier, the grinding surface of said grinding wheel having a concave spherical curvature described from the point of intersection of the grinding wheel and roll carrier axes, and a tool rotatable with the roll carrier and passing over the grinding surface of the grinding wheel with each revolution of said carrier for maintaining the desired curvature of said grinding surface.

2. A machine for endgrinding rolls comprising a rotary turret and a rotary grinding wheel arranged with their axes substantially in the same plane and at an oblique angle to each other, a circular series-of roll carrying spindles mounted in said turret 'for rotation therewith and on their own axes, said grinding wheel being located alongside of said roll carrier adjacent to the roll carrying ends of said spindles and provided at its turret opposing end with a concave spherical grinding surface adapted to be successively engaged by the ends of the rolls in said spindles as they revolve with said turret, said engagement occurring on the side of the grinding wheel nearest the turret axis and on the side of the engaged roll end remote from said axis, and means for adjusting the spindles axially in said turret to correctly position the roll ends with respect to the grinding wheel before they engage the same, said means comprising a wheel journaled on said machine in position to be successively engaged by the ends of the rolls in said spindles.

3. A machine for end-grinding roll comprising a rotary turret and a rotary grinding wheel arranged with their axes substantially in the same plane and at an oblique angle to each other, a circular series of roll carrying spindles mounted in said turret for rotation therewith and on their own axes, said grinding wheel being located alongside of said roll carrier adjacent to theroll carrying ends of said spindles and provided at its turret opposing end with a concave spherical grinding surface adapted to be successively engaged by the ends of the rolls in said spindles as they revolve with said turret, said engagement occurring on the side of the grinding wheel nearest the turret axis and on the side of the engaged roll and remote from said axis, means for adjusting the spindles axially in said turret to correctly position the roll ends with respect to the grinding wheel before they engage the same, said means comprising a wheel journaled on said machine in position to be successively engaged by the en ds of the rolls in said spindles, and plugs mounted in said turret in frictional engagement with the respective spindles forl maintaining them in their axially adjusted positions, the pressure of the friction plugs permitting axial movement of the spindles under the pressure of the positioning wheel but preventing such movement under the pressure of the grinding wheel.

HERBERT VANDERBEEK. 

